Heat dissipation device

ABSTRACT

An exemplary heat dissipation device, configured for dissipating heat of an electronic component, includes a first heat sink and a second heat sink detachably mounted to a lateral side of the first heat sink. The first heat sink is attached to the electronic component. The second heat sink has a smaller size than the first heat sink.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to heat dissipation devices, and particularly to a heat dissipation device for dissipating heat of an electronic component.

2. Description of Related Art

With the continuing development of electronics technology, electronic components, such as CPUs (central processing units) and others, generate more heat in operation than previously. The heat is required to be dissipated immediately. Conventionally, metallic heat sinks are mounted on electronic components to dissipate heat therefrom.

A typical heat sink includes a base, and a plurality of heat dissipation fins extending upward from the base. A heat dissipation efficiency of the heat sink depends on the size of the heat sink. A heat sink with a large size generally has a high heat dissipation efficiency. However, when a large heat sink is mounted on the electronic component, it may interfere with the nearby components. This situation occurs more often in small sized electronic devices, such as in a server rack unit of a server system, or a notebook computer. A heat sink with a small size may not interfere with other components, but the heat dissipation efficiency may not properly satisfy the heat dissipation requirements of the electronic component.

For at least these reasons, a heat dissipation device which can overcome the described limitations is desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric, assembled view of a heat dissipation device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the heat dissipation device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an example of an application of the heat dissipation device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a heat dissipation device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, shown in an exemplary application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a heat dissipation device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The heat dissipation device 100 includes a first heat sink 10, and a second heat sink 20 detachably mounted to a lateral side of the first heat sink 10 with two detachable fasteners 30.

The first heat sink 10 and the second heat sink 20 are made of heat conductive material, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. The first heat sink 10 and the second heat sink 20 can be manufactured through aluminum extrusion or through fin soldering. In this embodiment, the first heat sink 10 and the second heat sink 20 are manufactured through aluminum extrusion. The fasteners 30 can be any kind of detachable fasteners, such as bolts with nuts, threaded screws, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the fasteners 30 are threaded screws threadedly engaged in the first heat sink 10.

The first heat sink 10 includes a first base plate 11, and a number of first heat dissipation fins 12 formed on the first base plate 11. The first base plate 11 includes a first fin disposition section 112, and a first connecting section 111 beside the first fin disposition section 112. The first heat dissipation fins 12 extend upward from the first fin disposition section 112 of the first base plate 11, and are all parallel to one another. The first connecting section 111 is without fins formed thereon, and defines two through holes 1111 therein. A bottom surface of the first base plate 11 is configured for attaching with an electronic component 40 (see FIG. 3).

The second heat sink 20 has a size smaller than that of the first heat sink 10. The second heat sink 20 includes a second base plate 21, and a number of second heat dissipation fins 22 formed on the second base plate 21. The second base plate 21 includes a second fin disposition section 212, and a second connecting section 211 beside the second fin disposition section 212. The second heat dissipation fins 22 extend upward from the second fin disposition section 212 of the second base plate 21, and are all parallel to one another. The second connecting section 211 is bare without fins, and defines two mounting holes 2111 therein corresponding to the through holes 1111 of the first heat sink 10. Each of the first and second base plates 11 and 21 is substantially rectangular. A length of the second base plate 21 is equal to that of the first base plate 11. A width of the second base plate 21 is less than that of the first base plate 11. A height of the second heat dissipation fins 22 extending above the second fin disposition section 212 is less than that of the first heat dissipation fins 12 extending above the first fin disposition section 112. A length of each second heat dissipation fin 22 is equal to that of each first heat dissipation fin 12.

When the second heat sink 20 is assembled on the first heat sink 10, the second connecting section 211 of the second heat sink 20 is superposed on the first connecting section 112 of the first heat sink 10, with the mounting holes 2111 of the second connecting section 211 respectively aligned with the through holes 1111 of the first connecting section 111. Two fasteners 30 are extended through the mounting holes 2111 and the through holes 1111, and thereby the second heat sink 20 is mounted to the first heat sink 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the first heat dissipation fins 12 are parallel to the second heat dissipation fins 22. The first heat dissipation fins 12 define a first top face (not labeled), the second heat dissipation fins 22 define a second top face (not labeled), and the second top face is lower than the first top face. To achieve a close contact between the second connecting section 211 of the second heat sink 20 and the first connecting section 111 of the first heat sink 10, a layer of thermal interface material, such as heat conductive silicon grease, can be disposed between the second connecting section 211 of the second heat sink 20 and the first connecting section 111 of the first heat sink 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the heat dissipation device 100 is used to dissipate heat of the electronic component 40 on a circuit board 50, the first base plate 11 of the first heat sink 10 of the heat dissipation device 100 is attached on the electronic component 40. The heat generated by the electronic component 40 is transferred to the first heat sink 10. A portion of the heat is directly dissipated through the first heat sink 10, and another portion of the heat is transferred to the second heat sink 20 through the first and second connecting sections 111 and 211 of the first and second heat sinks 10 and 20 and dissipated through the second heat sink 20.

Since the second heat sink 20 has a smaller size than the first heat sink 10 and can be detachably connected to the lateral side of the first heat sink 10, the second heat sink 20 is available to be mounted to the first heat sink 10 in certain environments in which the heat dissipation device 100 may be applied. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, a heat sink wider than the first heat sink 10 cannot be used, because it would interfere with the components 60 and 70 nearby the electronic component 40. Yet the second heat sink 20 is able to be accommodated in the limited free space available nearby the components 60 and 70. Therefore, the second heat sink 20 can be utilized to supplement the heat dissipation capability of the first heat sink 10. In this kind of application, the heat dissipation device 100 has high heat dissipation efficiency, yet with little or no risk of interfering with the components 60 and 70 nearby the electronic component 40. Furthermore, the low profile of the first heat sink 10 is not exceeded by the second heat sink 20.

In addition, the heat dissipation device 100 can also resolve a heat sink redesign problem that may be caused by an upgrading of the electronic component 40. For example, originally, a heat dissipation efficiency of the first heat sink 10 is designed to satisfy a heat dissipation requirement of the electronic component 40, and the first heat sink 10 alone is mounted on the electronic component 40 to dissipate the heat of the electronic component 40. When the electronic component 40 is upgraded to have a higher power, a redesign or upgrade of the first heat sink 10 may not be necessary. This is because the second heat sink 20 can be attached to the first heat sink 10 to satisfy the added heat dissipation requirement of the upgraded electronic component 40. Furthermore, the second heat sink 20 can be manufactured through a simple procedure, such as aluminum extrusion, thus minimizing a cost of the heat dissipation device 100.

To further promote the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat dissipation device 100, two or more second heat sinks 20 can be mounted to the first heat sink 10. FIG. 4 shows a heat dissipation device 100 a according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The heat dissipation device 100 a includes a first heat sink 10 a, and two second heat sinks 20 detachably mounted at two opposite lateral sides of the first heat sink 10, respectively.

It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

1. A heat dissipation device for dissipating heat of an electronic component, the heat dissipation device comprising: a first heat sink adapted for being attached to the electronic component; and a second heat sink detachably mounted to a lateral side of the first heat sink, the second heat sink having a smaller size than the first heat sink.
 2. The heat dissipation device of claim 1, wherein the first heat sink comprises a first base plate and a plurality first heat dissipation fins extending from the first base plate, the second heat sink comprises a second base plate and a plurality of second heat dissipation fins extending from the second base plate, and the second base plate is mounted to the first base plate.
 3. The heat dissipation device of claim 2, wherein the first heat dissipation fins are parallel to each other, the second heat dissipation fins are parallel to each other, and the first heat dissipation fins are parallel to the second heat dissipation fins.
 4. The heat dissipation device of claim 2, wherein the first heat dissipation fins define a first top face, the second heat dissipation fins define a second top face, and the second top face is lower than or at the same level as the first top face.
 5. The heat dissipation device of claim 2, wherein a height of the second heat dissipation fins extending above the second base plate is less than that of the first heat dissipation fins extending above the first base plate.
 6. The heat dissipation device of claim 5, wherein the first base plate comprises a first fin disposition section and a first connecting section beside the fin disposition section, the second heat sink is mounted to the first connecting section of the first heat sink, and the first heat dissipation fins extend from the first fin disposition section of the first heat sink.
 7. The heat dissipation device of claim 6, wherein the second base plate comprises a second fin disposition section and a second connecting section beside the second fin disposition section, the second connecting section of the second heat sink is mounted to the first connecting section of the first heat sink, and the second heat dissipation fins extend from the second fin disposition section of the second heat sink.
 8. The heat dissipation device of claim 7 further comprising another second heat sink, wherein the two second heat sinks are respectively mounted at two opposite lateral sides of the first heat sink.
 9. The heat dissipation device of claim 7, wherein the second connecting section of the second heat sink is superposed on the first connecting section of the first heat sink, and the second and first connecting sections are connected together by at least one detachable fastener.
 10. The heat dissipation device of claim 9, wherein a layer of thermal interface material is disposed between the second connecting section of the second heat sink and the first connecting section of the first heat sink.
 11. The heat dissipation device of claim 7, wherein the first heat sink and the second heat sink are respectively formed through aluminum extrusion.
 12. A heat dissipation device for dissipating heat of an electronic component, the heat dissipation device comprising: a first heat sink adapted for being thermally attached to the electronic component, the first heat sink defining a first top face; and a second heat sink detachably mounted to a lateral side of the first heat sink, the second heat sink defining a second top face, the second top face being lower than or at the same level as the first top face. 